Back-to-School Checklist for Canadian Teachers: The First...

September has a way of arriving faster than expected. One week you’re finishing report cards, and the next you’re standing in an empty classroom wondering where to start. This back to school checklist for teachers breaks the first three weeks of the Canadian school year into manageable, week-by-week tasks so you can walk in on Day 1 feeling prepared rather than frantic. If you’re in a Grades 1 classroom in Prince Edward Island or a split Grade 7/8 in British Columbia, the structure here translates.

Your Back to School Checklist Teachers Can Actually Use

A practical back-to-school checklist for Canadian K, 8 teachers covers four phases: pre-opening classroom setup, Week 1 routines and relationships, Week 2 baseline assessment and learning goals, and Week 3 first parent contacts and your first mini-unit. Each phase builds on the last so nothing falls through the cracks.

When Does the Canadian School Year Actually Start?

Before diving into the checklist itself, it helps to know your timeline. School start dates vary across Canada, and that affects how much pre-school setup time you realistically have.

Ontario: First Tuesday after Labour Day (early September)
British Columbia: First Tuesday after Labour Day in most districts
Alberta: Late August to early September, depending on the school authority
Quebec: Last week of August (French-language schools) or early September
Saskatchewan and Manitoba: First week of September
Atlantic provinces (NS, NB, PEI, NL): First week of September, often the Tuesday after Labour Day

Most teachers get one to three setup days before students arrive. In some boards, those days include mandatory professional development, leaving you only one real “classroom” day. Plan accordingly. Check your specific board’s calendar on your provincial ministry website, such as the Ontario Ministry of Education or BC’s Ministry of Education and Child Care.

Week , 1: Classroom Setup Checklist (Before Students Arrive)

The work you do in this window sets the physical and administrative foundation for the whole year. Don’t spend all your time on bulletin boards. Focus on the things that will matter on Day 1.

Physical Space

Arrange desks or tables in your preferred configuration (clusters, rows, or pairs). Leave space for easy movement and for students with accessibility needs.
Label cubbies, hooks, or storage spots with student names. If you don’t have a class list yet, use numbered spots temporarily.
Set up a clear, visible daily schedule area. Our free classroom timetable tool makes printing a custom schedule straightforward.
Create or post classroom norms or agreements in a prominent spot (fill these in with students during Week 1, but have the frame ready).
Check that your whiteboard markers, projector or screen, and any tech tools are working.
Set up a “drop-off” spot for student materials (backpack hooks, bin for notices).

Administrative Essentials

Prepare a draft seating plan, even if you know you’ll adjust it. Having something on paper prevents a chaotic first morning.
Set up your attendance system, paper or digital, and practice it so Day 1 is smooth.
Build your sub folder now, not in February when you’re sick. Include: class list with photos if available, emergency procedures, daily schedule, two or three self-contained lesson activities, and notes on students with medical or behavioural needs. A solid sub folder protects your students and your sanity.
Locate your school’s emergency procedures binder and make sure your room has the required postings (fire exit route, lockdown protocols).
Set up a basic communication system for parents. This could be a class newsletter template, a communication app like SchoolMessenger or Edsby (common in Canadian boards), or a simple paper take-home folder system.
Draft your welcome letter to parents using our free letter generator. Get it printed and ready to send home on Day 1.

Curriculum Prep

Download or review your provincial curriculum documents for your grade and subjects. Know the big-picture strands or competencies you’re responsible for.
Sketch a rough long-range plan for the first month. You don’t need every lesson planned, but knowing your Unit 1 topic means you can gather materials now.
Gather or bookmark key teaching resources for your opening weeks, including ice-breakers, community-building activities, and any diagnostic tools your board requires.
Identify two or three read-alouds or shared texts you’ll use in the first week to build classroom community.

Week 1 Teacher Checklist: Routines, Relationships, and First Impressions

The research on this is consistent. The first week of school is about establishing routines, not covering content. Canadian educational researcher Ontario’s research on school climate and frameworks like The First Days of School (Wong and Wong) both point to the same conclusion: students who feel safe and know what to expect learn more. Spend Week 1 on people and procedures.

Relationship Building

Learn every student’s name and preferred pronunciation by end of Day 2. Have students make name cards or tents on Day 1.
Run at least two or three structured ice-breakers across the week. Try our free classroom bingo tool to create a custom “Find Someone Who” bingo card. It works for Grades 2 through 8 with minimal adaptation.
Do a “getting to know you” activity that gives you genuine information about students’ interests, learning preferences, and home languages.
Conduct brief informal conversations with every student. Even one minute one-on-one tells a student you see them.

Routines and Procedures

Explicitly teach and practise every routine you expect students to follow: morning entry, transitioning between subjects, bathroom procedures, dismissal. Don’t assume anything is obvious.
Run a fire drill walk-through before the first official drill so students know the exit route.
Establish a signal for attention (a raised hand, a bell, a clap pattern) and use it consistently from Day 1.
Introduce and practise your system for handing in work, accessing materials, and asking for help.

Parent Communication (Week 1)

Send home your welcome letter on Day 1 or Day 2. Include your name, contact method (email, app), classroom expectations summary, and any supply requests.
If your board uses an online platform (Edsby, SeeSaw, Google Classroom, etc.), send home setup instructions and ensure families know how to access it.
Send a brief “Day 1 went well” message to the whole class, something short and warm. It sets a positive tone immediately.

Week 2 Teacher Checklist: Baseline Assessment and Learning Goals

Once routines are humming, it’s time to find out where your students actually are. Week 2 is your window for diagnostic or baseline assessment before the real curriculum content ramps up.

Baseline Assessment Tasks

Run a reading assessment appropriate for your grade. Many boards have a board-mandated tool (e.g., GB+ in Ontario, PM Benchmarks in BC). If yours doesn’t, a short independent reading response works well.
Do a writing sample. A simple personal narrative prompt (“Tell me about a place that matters to you”) gives you writing process, conventions, and voice data all at once.
Administer a numeracy diagnostic. Our math magic tools and the 5-rate assessment tool can support quick formative check-ins.
Note any students who may need referrals for learning support, ELL services, or gifted programming. The sooner you flag these conversations with your resource teacher, the better.

Learning Goals With Students

Introduce the concept of learning goals and success criteria. In Ontario, this is embedded in Growing Success (2010). In BC, it aligns with the Core Competencies self-assessment framework. In Alberta, it connects to the Assessment for Learning approach in the provincial guidelines.
Co-create success criteria for at least one task with students. This builds ownership and metacognitive awareness from the start.
Post a visible “what we are learning” section in your room and update it weekly.

Curriculum Planning (Week 2)

Confirm your first mini-unit topic and gather materials. Browse ready-made lesson plans or pull from your provincial resource list.
Check your long-range plan against your baseline data. If many students are significantly below grade level in a key skill, adjust your pacing now rather than in November.
Download any relevant teaching eBooks that align with your unit themes.

Week 3 Teacher Checklist: First Parent Contacts and Your First Mini-Unit

By Week 3, the class has a rhythm. Now you deepen relationships with families and launch real curriculum work.

First Substantive Parent Contacts

Make at least three to five positive parent phone calls or personal notes this week. Positive first contact makes every difficult conversation that might come later much easier. Canadian research on family engagement consistently shows that parent-teacher relationships formed early in the year improve student outcomes (Jeynes, 2012, meta-analysis widely cited in Canadian ed policy).
Flag any students you’re concerned about and schedule a brief check-in with parents. Frame it as a “getting to know your child better” call, not a problem call.
Send home the first formal communication about what students are studying. A one-page “What We’re Learning in September” note connects home and school learning.

Launching Your First Mini-Unit

Launch a two-to-three-week mini-unit in your anchor subject (language arts or math, depending on your schedule). Keep it tight and achievable so you finish strong before the first reporting window.
Build in a mix of whole-class, small-group, and independent tasks so you can observe students in different contexts.
Try a low-stakes word or vocabulary activity using our word scramble game tool to introduce key vocabulary from your unit in a fun, accessible way.
Document your observations. Dated anecdotal notes from Week 3 become invaluable when you’re writing November report cards.

Classroom Community Check-In

Run a short anonymous survey or class meeting: How is everyone feeling? What’s going well? What’s hard? Students feel heard, and you get early data on social dynamics.
Address any emerging friendship or conflict issues now, before they calcify. A five-minute proactive conversation saves weeks of disruption later.
Celebrate something the class did well. A “Week 3 Win” shout-out board, a class acknowledgement circle, or simply naming specific strengths you’ve noticed goes a long way.

Quick-Reference: Back to School Teacher Checklist Summary

Week , 1: Seating plan drafted, sub folder complete, room set up, welcome letter ready, long-range plan sketched, curriculum documents reviewed
Week 1: Names learned, routines taught and practised, ice-breakers run, Day 1 parent communication sent, attendance system live
Week 2: Reading, writing, and numeracy baselines completed, learning goals introduced, first mini-unit planned, referral flags made
Week 3: Positive parent contacts made, first mini-unit launched, classroom community check-in done, anecdotal notes started

For more province-specific resources, browse our teaching links organized by province or explore subject-specific teaching links to find materials aligned to your grade and curriculum area.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should teachers do before school starts?

Before school starts, teachers should set up their physical classroom, draft a seating plan, prepare a substitute folder, review provincial curriculum documents, sketch a long-range plan, and prepare parent communication. The goal is to have the administrative and physical foundation solid so that Day 1 energy goes toward students, not logistics.

What is on a teacher’s back to school checklist?

A teacher’s back-to-school checklist typically includes classroom setup tasks (furniture arrangement, labelling, schedule posting), administrative tasks (attendance system, sub folder, emergency postings), curriculum prep (long-range plan, diagnostic tools, first unit materials), and communication tasks (welcome letter, parent app setup, first contact plan). The specific items shift by grade, province, and school context, but these four categories cover the essentials for K, 8 teachers across Canada.

How do you prepare for the first week of school?

Preparing for the first week means prioritizing routines and relationships over content delivery. Plan explicit lessons for every procedure you want students to follow, prepare two or three ice-breaker activities, know your first read-aloud, and have your parent communication ready to go home on Day 1. Keep academic expectations light in the first week and focus on helping students feel safe and welcome in your classroom.

What do teachers need for back to school?

Beyond physical supplies (markers, chart paper, student materials), teachers need an updated class list, access to provincial curriculum documents, a communication platform or welcome letter template, baseline assessment tools, and a rough long-range plan. Emotionally, teachers need protected prep time before students arrive, which is worth advocating for with administration. Our free classroom tools can help reduce prep time for several of these tasks.

Continue the Conversation

The first three weeks of school are genuinely some of the most important teaching you’ll do all year. The habits, relationships, and structures you build now pay dividends every single day until June. This back to school checklist for teachers gives you a framework, but every classroom is different. Adapt it to your students, your grade, and your community.

Browse the Canadian Teacher blog for more practical teaching tips, or explore our full library of teaching resources and lesson plans built for Canadian classrooms. If you’re looking for something specific and can’t find it, the Canadian Teacher Community Forum is a great place to ask, share, and connect with teachers from across the country who are navigating the same September sprint you are.

Back-to-School Checklist for Canadian Teachers: The First 3 Weeks